September 26th

2nd Floor

Bushwood Apartment Complex

City Of Vale

Vale

9:52 PM

Half collapsing on their bed after getting the girls to fall asleep, Glynda smiled before carefully letting her hair down and setting her hair ties aside on the small table next to the bed. She laid there for several minutes with her eyes closed while she relaxed and James played with her pale, blonde waves that were freely floating around. It was a relief to her that she was able to get a moment of calm with him. The girls had been a little hyperactive, though she supposed that they deserved the chance since it was their birthday - their first birthday. It was nice to have a fairly relaxed day. Neither of them had had to focus on their work and they got the chance to focus on themselves and their family.

Sighing, she pushed her glasses up and forced herself to open her eyes. James was still playing with her hair and she gave him a soft smile as she rolled over to face him. He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead, sensing the residual nerves that she seemed to carry with her most of the time these days. Seeing her suffer, especially if she chose to do so without telling him, was harder than anything else but it was also hard to accept that sometimes she just wasn't going to talk about something. He loved her too much to press it. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He would wait until she was ready. Time wasn't something he was particularly concerned about. He would have waited for her even if she had had wanted space instead of getting married. Taking her hand and squeezing it, he didn't speak as he knew that she would talk if she wanted to.

She curled into him and let her head rest on his shoulder while his arms were wrapped around her tight. "I'm glad the girls had a good day. Honestly, I can't believe that we're already twenty three and they're a year."

"A lot has changed, hasn't it?" James smiled. "How have things been at work?"

She paused for a moment in consideration.

"Emmett, in his unending wisdom, decided to interrupt a class and caused an entire lecture hall to become distracted by saying the words 'if you try hard enough, you can light anything on fire' for seemingly no reason," She shook her head. "At least, that's how it felt until I remembered the time that he almost set our dorm on fire with my curling iron."

"I don't know why he put it in the sink while it was still plugged in," James remarked. "Although, in fairness, I still can't believe that he snuck back in after being out far too late either."

"It was a miracle he didn't get caught," She laughed a bit at the thought. "I'm sure that would have gone over well."

"Well, at the very least, he didn't light anything on fire today," James smirked. "That we know of."

"Oh, he wouldn't," Glynda sighed. "You know how much he cares for the girls."

"I know," He said. "It was pretty cute watching Cate grab at his nose and glasses."

"Or watching Ivy stick her face in cake," Glynda added with a smile. "And, of course, throw it at Trey and Mike."

"Your brothers have infinite patience," He noted. "I don't know how they do it, I really don't."

"They have their quirks," She told him. "I'm the oldest, believe me, I know. Just last year Trey got pulled over because he had strung Christmas lights onto his car. Apparently, the cop told him that, while he admired his holiday spirit, it's illegal to put flashing lights on cars without permission from the DMV. And Mike's fifteen. No one can be fifteen without doing something stupid at least once."

"And that is yet another time from which I'm sure Emmett has a lot of hilarious stories," James put in. "I have a feeling marriage is going to calm him down significantly."

"I would tend to agree with that," Glynda said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "He worries about Emmeline a lot. I can tell, and, honestly, he's even said as much."

James pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. "You should get some sleep, Glyns."

She nodded weakly and set her glasses aside. "Love you…" She murmured.

"I love you too," He squeezed her hand and it was not too long after that she fell asleep.

The girls, as it happened, were mercifully asleep themselves. All things considered, it was a miracle they had both begun sleeping through the night. Beside him, it was nice to see that for once Glynda didn't look tired or stressed even in sleep. After about an hour of going through files on his scroll, he too closed his eyes after setting his work aside and taking one more look at her peaceful, sleeping form. It was a relief to know that there was a time when she could be relaxed. Nothing was particularly easy or relaxed of late but seeing just a little bit of that gave hope wings. She didn't like to hope for too much, knowing that her dreams had been crushed in the past but, for now, she was letting herself hope for her family to be okay.

Even before the girls' first birthday, her first brother had stopped by more than once and was more than excited to get to spend some time with his nieces again even though he didn't always have a lot of time. Trey Goodwitch had always been afflicted with a knack for getting into trouble and that didn't bode well for him having time. On the other hand, her second brother, Mike Goodwitch, was trying to be around more and more frequently and was typically the one watching the girls when there were meetings with Ozpin. He was only fifteen, but he was thrilled to be an uncle.

As for Emmett, he had seemed on edge after every meeting. He was almost always fidgeting with his glasses, and his hair had become less and less pristine. It was now past his shoulders, and he seemed to care little about it. He was worried, and he, like the rest of them, had every right to be. And, since her daughter had been born in July, Cristal seemed to be as anxious as her brother. She never let little Carleigh out of her sight, it seemed, and Ozpin had become extraordinarily defensive of her and their family. Cristal had taken leave from work until January, and had been in Vale since June, but even seeing that things were okay didn't make her feel better. It didn't make any of them feel better.

It felt as if things were always going to be teetering on the edge of being horribly, horribly wrong.

October 12th

City of Vale

Unified States of Vale

Downtown

6:20 PM

"Chrissy, really, you don't have to keep…" Emmeline sighed. "I look fine."

Cristal hesitated. "Are you sure you don't want me to fix your hair one last time?"

"Have you seen your brother's?" Emmeline replied with a smirk. "I really don't think it makes a difference."

She considered it but nodded. "Alright," She said, stepping over to her daughter who was cooing in her carrier. "Hi, honey. Boop."

The baby girl giggled when her mother tapped her nose.

"She's adorable," Emmeline said, smoothing out her dress. "I think she might be the happiest baby I've ever seen, too."

"Clearly you haven't seen her when she's hungry," Cristal laughed and picked up her daughter, who was still giggling. "Isn't that right, Carleigh?"

The baby girl reached the little she needed to and grabbed her mother's pearl necklace.

"You can't wear that until you're older," Cristal told her with an indulgent smile. "Now, come on. We're going to go find daddy so we're not late for uncle Emmett's wedding."

Emmeline couldn't help but smile as she watched her slip out of the room, yet she found herself a bit saddened once she was alone. When she glanced into the mirror, she saw herself and it hurt when she remembered, for not the first time, that her father never lived long enough to see this. The two of them had been close and, even if their relationship had been contentious at times, she had always thought he would see her wedding. Anger bubbled up in her as she remembered the day he had been killed, but she pushed it aside. In less than an hour she and Emmett would be married, and the last thing she wanted was to focus on loss. After all, Spencer had happily agreed to walk his sister down the aisle, even if (and perhaps, in part, because) it had pissed off Ronnie.

"You ready, sis?" Spencer teased when she stepped out. He playfully batted at her arm and she rolled her eyes, half-heartedly doing so back. "Oh, come on! You're not even trying."

"I'm not going to try," She replied, gesturing to his wife and little daughter further down. "That would be a terrible example to set for your daughter."

"Nattie's fine," Spencer glanced towards the director, who nodded shortly. "Alright," He said, lowering his voice a little. "It's time."

There was no music – something she had insisted on – but everyone still turned towards her when she stepped out from behind the curtains. Spencer gallantly (and far too dramatically) marched slowly with his arm interloped with his sister's. Emmett, at the other end of the room, looked happier than any of them had ever seen him. Meeting his gaze, Emmeline felt her spirits lighten considerably. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Glynda and James with their girls and beside them were Cristal, Ozpin, and baby Carleigh. Emmeline's own family was directly across from them although Ronnie looked almost calculating. Willow, Jacques, and Winter had come too, and seemed far more uplifted than she had expected. Elizabeth Morell was there too, and she seemed rather uncomfortable beside Ronnie even if he smiled at her. They had all come down from Atlas for this, and Emmeline was, once again, relieved to be away from her kingdom. Yet Ronnie, it seemed, had other things in mind.

It was for that reason, however briefly, Emmeline couldn't help but wonder what her brother could possibly be planning.

Spencer loosely embraced his sister when they reached Emmett and the priest. He sat down quickly and took his year-old daughter into his arms. The little girl seemed transfixed by her aunt and kept excitedly chirping something that sounded close to Emily in between tugging on Ivory Ironwood-Goodwitch's hair. The couple was now facing each other and Emmeline could not help but smile. The priest opened his book and was ready to begin but, just a sentence in, found himself interrupted by a very excited, year-old Caitlin Ironwood-Goodwitch.

"Father Dan!" She exclaimed bubbly, her little blonde curls bouncing while she ran towards the alter. "I here, I here!"

Glynda quickly swooped up her daughter and sent them all an apologetic look but he only laughed along with Emmett and Emmeline.

After that, she could hardly focus on his words. Her hands kept spinning the small ring they held, and she could see Emmett doing the same. Her thoughts were still swirling but, as he would later admit, his were too. Just an hour prior Winter had popped into his dressing room to say hello, but, in the conversation that followed, had let slip something he definitely hadn't been meant to know quite yet. Willow was pregnant. Under normal circumstances, Emmett would have been thrilled to know he was going to have another niece or nephew, but he had been more stunned that his sister hadn't told him. He supposed that their relationship had been more contentious over the last two years, but he had never thought she would keep something from him.

What had shocked him more, though, was that Jacques had bothered to come. He had also been nothing but calm and polite to him, Cristal, the Ciels, and the Ironwoods. Even Ozpin didn't seem to bother him despite some of the comments he had made when he had learned that Cristal married him. It was uncanny, to say the very least. Glynda and James' gentle teasing, though, had taken away most of his worries. Yet the thought lingered in the back of his mind that his brother-in-law was up to something and it had been maddening up until he had seen Emmeline step out. All he had wanted to do since then was hold her in his arms. He was nervous, they all were, but today was a small pause. There was no threat, not then, and it was the brief moment of repose that struck him the most. Maybe, despite everything in the world, there could be moments where it did not matter.

Moments from which they could move forward.

"Emmett Arthur Schnee," The priest said calmly and with a smile. "Do you take Emmeline Cecilia Ciel as your wife, to love and care for her as long as you both shall live?"

Emmett nodded, gently sliding the emerald ring onto her finger. "I do."

He turned to Emmeline. "Emmeline Cecilia Ciel, do you take Emmett Arthur Schnee as your husband, to love and care for him as long as you both shall live."

She delicately took his hand. "I do," She murmured, sliding the ring onto his finger.

"With the power vested in me, I declare the two of you bonded in holy matrimony," He closed his book and lowered his hands. "You may kiss."

Emmett embraced her tightly and pressed a surprisingly chaste kiss to her lips.

"My sweet wife…" He whispered, an arm tightly around her as the walked out towards the reception hall. "I love you so much."

Emmeline smiled. "I know you do."

"Cate…" Ivy yelled, chasing her sister in front of them while Glynda and James quickly swooped up their little girls. "You make a mess!"

Caitlin threw some rose petals that she had clenched in her fists (and presumably snatched from a nearby basket) at her sister. "Ta da!" She declared triumphantly.

"This is what you're getting yourself into," Glynda told Emmett, holding her squirming daughter. "Cate, honey, not now."

The little girl pouted but then curled tightly into her mother.

"They're such sweethearts," Emmeline smiled. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"We'll figure it out," Emmett promised, giving her a squeeze. "And I'll always be here for you."

"Boop!" Ivy shrieked, tugging on his hair.

Emmett laughed and tapped her nose. "Boop."

November 19th

City of Atlas

United Kingdom of Atlas

Downtown

11:19 PM

Elizabeth Morell was laying down, almost curled into herself, and looking out into the glittering night sky. Atlas was always beautiful during the winter months, so long as one didn't travel too far north, and seeing the transports fly outside was a comfort to her. It was a reminder that things were still normal, at least, to an extent. The shattered moon was faint, covered in a faint haze that seemed to tease the promise of snow although, in the mid-south of the kingdom, it was unlikely for another few weeks. She was tired, she knew, but she had been trying to fall asleep for over an hour and hadn't been able to. If she were being fully honest with herself, she knew exactly who to blame.

That woman, that amber eyed woman who called herself Cinder had been in her apartment more times than she would ever admit. It was never welcome, and it was always agonizing. Elizabeth knew her colleague, Neale, had drawn her into this and had done so too quickly for her to back out even though she knew what was happening. In the last few months alone, Elizabeth felt as if she had been skinned raw in every sense but the literal and there was a part of her that wished she could hide. Of course, how could she hide from something like this? She knew not what to do, but she knew how to do it. She was not entirely powerless, but she was terrified.

And, damn it, Ronnie Ciel had been right all along.

Elizabeth had never fully trusted Neale. The woman had been reserved about her ideals at best and often voted on such extremes that people were able to accuse her of being a warmonger. Elizabeth had been among them. Still, Neale outranked her and, if she were ever hoping to have a chance at being the chair of the security council, she needed to have at least some professional association with her. She had known she needed Neale's favor as much as she needed Admiral Winchester's. When Ronnie had pulled her aside to warn her, she had taken it with a grain of salt. He had always driven her mad, whether it were because they had once been engaged or simply because he was a well-liked senator that had built a name for himself. She had not thought she would be in the position she was now, and the reality of it was horrifying.

A few hours before, she had consolidated all of the information she had that proved Neale to be involved in a conspiracy. Admittedly, she had bent the rules to access some of the more highly classified documents but she needed them as evidence. The rest of it she could only give personal testimony to, but she could incriminate her by the morn. That was what she fully intended to do, no matter what the personal cost was. She could not continue to live like this, and the thought of Cinder made her skin crawl. She was terrified that the woman would try to kill her for this, but she no longer had a choice. She felt morally and legally obligated to turn over what she had.

That was especially true, considering that it proved Neale had been involved in the attacks the last September that had killed thousands of citizens and President Ciel.

"Please, please forgive me," She softly prayed. "I can't stop the fire, but I can say the words I need to in order to…"

She trailed off, feeling sick. Her hands had been shaking non-stop for what felt like hours and it had nothing to do with the slowly dropping temperatures outside. No, this was something far more profound. There were fears eating away at her, and nothing felt quite right. Elizabeth was prepared, oh she knew exactly what she was going to do and how she was going to do it but her terror was not lessened. She still had not decided on when, but it was going to be before the year was out. She was certain of it. After all, she could not keep this close to her chest forever.

Not when she knew it would eat her alive.